How Does Motivation Theory Explain The Reality Of Employee Motivation At Morton's Of Horncastle Ltd?

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Nia Kaye L6B        AS Business Studies Coursework March 2006         0047/26324

How Does Motivation Theory Explain The Reality Of Employee Motivation At Morton’s Of Horncastle Ltd?

Motivation is a ‘decision-making process through which the individual chooses the desired outcomes and sets in motion the behaviour required to acquiring them.’ (Buchanan). Motivating employees is a vital factor in business success. A motivated workforce can help to reduce labour turnover and absenteeism, whilst maximising the outputs as well as the quality of production. There are several different approaches to motivation, one of the most important being Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (figure one, shown below). It adopts a human relations approach, which incorporates the psychological as well as the social aspects of the working environment. The aim of this coursework is to apply Maslow’s hierarchy to Morton’s business and evaluate the effects of each level of the hierarchy. This will be achieved through careful analysis and application of both primary and secondary resources in order to assess the effectiveness of employee motivation at Morton’s.

figure 1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is structured in a pyramid shape in order to highlight which motivational needs are the most important. The design of the diagram illustrates the fact that each of the lower levels has to be fulfilled before the next one can be recognised. Obtaining basic needs, such as money and rest, are an individual’s first source of motivation, (i.e. physiological needs) due to people requiring these to be able to survive. Once the base level of the pyramid has been met, people look for satisfaction in other ways. A need for safety and security then arises so that they can work in a stable environment. Affiliation needs occupy the next level of Maslow’s hierarchy. In other words, to meet this need, staff need to feel valued and recognised as part of the team. The final two levels, esteem and self actualization, are the hardest to fulfil. They require the employees to feel confident and to realise their full potential. Few businesses succeed in enabling their workforce to feel highly successful.

Morton’s is a magazine publisher and newspaper printers which has several branches, one of which is situated near the A153 in Horncastle. It employs 250 staff there, 70 of whom are employed in shift work. Morton’s believe that they ‘have a commitment to excellence and total customer satisfaction, which in turn will ensure Morton’s continued expansion as an independent printing and publishing company.’ (Michael Gill, corporate services manager (M.G.)). Its recent growth has been a profitable process which has been accomplished through the utilization of people, products and technology. An example of the utilization is the ‘Investors in People.’ (IiP). This is where assessors visit Morton’s regularly in order to investigate whether the employer is undertaking all necessary requirements to retain the IiP status. Morton’s takes this role seriously because they feel that it plays a crucial part in maintaining a productive place to work. The process is relatively costly at £1500, however the utilization of people, products and technology is so highly worthwhile that Morton’s feel the benefits outweigh the costs.

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Morton’s uses ‘Adam’s Equity Theory’ as a motivational philosophy for job satisfaction. This focuses on all aspects of employee needs, ranging from the basic salary through to reputation and achievement. It uses the idea that what an employee puts into the business (inputs) must be equal to what they get out of it (outputs). However, despite the fact that it recognises the various issues, it does not differentiate the varying importance of each aspect.

In terms of satisfying the basic needs, Morton’s endeavours to satisfy them and their success is clearly recognised by the fact that in a recent ...

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